The Perfect Christmas
by Sink The Pink
Summary: When Mickey sees the tree Mortimer's bought for this year's Main Street Decorating Contest he forgets what Christmas is really about. Will Mickey be able to make this the best Christmas yet, or has he lost Minnie for good?


I'd been thinking of doing a Christmas story for a while but didn't really have any ideas in my head, then last week during the two and a half hours I spent untangling lights (only to find that my dog had chewed through the wire) I came up with this idea. So anyway, hope you enojoy it, and have a great Christmas/Holidays.

* * *

Some say that Christmas is about the gifts you receive or helping those less fortunate then you, others say it's about bringing people together and spending it with those that you love. Whatever the reason for celebrating, Christmas is a special time of year for all. Even those like Scrooge McDuck who thought it was a stupid excuse for spending ridiculous amounts of money on gifts and decorations managed to get into the Christmas spirit. Mickey couldn't help but smile as he watched the duck chase his three nephews around the park, throwing snowballs and playfully tackling them to the ground. No one really knew for sure how old Scrooge was, Donald figured he must be at least a hundred and forty having earned his lucky dime in the 1870's, but regardless of his age Scrooge was still as quick and as agile as the boys. He stopped to wave at the two mice driving past leaving himself vulnerable to his nephews who took the opportunity to pelt him with snow balls. Mickey chuckled as he watched him chase the boys around the park before he turned to focus his attention back on the road. He sang along to the festive songs on the radio, thinking about how this year was going to be the best Christmas ever. Every year he promised himself it was going to be the best Christmas, and every year he would outdo himself. Making the most delicious Christmas dinner for all his friends (Minnie would only let him make the gravy but it still counted), having the best decorations in town and spreading Christmas cheer to everyone he met.

Yep, this year was going to be the best holiday yet, he only wished the girl sat next to him felt the same way. He watched Minnie sigh sadly as she stared at the cars driving past with a glum look on her face. He didn't get what she was so upset about. It all started yesterday, Minnie had just come over when Mortimer pulled up next door with the biggest tree Mickey had ever seen attached to the roof of his car. He ran to the fence leaving Minnie alone on his porch to get a better look when Mortimer made a snide comment about Mickey's sorry excuse for a tree before he dragged his enormous tree into his house. The two had been rivals as long as Mickey could remember, always trying to outdo each other and taking every opportunity to show that they were better than the other. Every year they would take part in the Main Street Decorating Contest, it was supposed to be a bit of fun that brought the town's residents together to celebrate the holidays, but every year they would ruin the fun by trying to sabotage the others decorations in order to win. So far Mickey had won every year, except that time he blew up his house and Pluto won but since he was his dog that technically meant he still won. However after seeing the monster of a tree Mortimer had this year he was starting to get worried that his old tree might not be enough.

So here they were in the car on the way to Crazy Pete's Tree Lot with Mickey's old tree laid out across the back seat, the top of it hanging out of the car window. Minnie hadn't said a word since they left his house however she was making it pretty obvious she didn't want him to get rid of it as she let out another sad sigh.

"Aww c'mon Min, yer not still upset, are ya? It's only a stupid tree."

"It's not just a tree. It means something to me, to us, or at least I thought it did. But obviously this stupid contest you've got with Mortimer means more to you than I do."

He'd only seen his girlfriend angry a couple of times in the years they were together, sure she would get mad at him and could be harsh with him at times, but he'd always been able to sweeten her up. However this time he didn't think he could sweeten her up, at least not right away. Normally by now he would have given into her wishes and just kept the stupid tree but how was he supposed to do that? If he gave in to Minnie he'd be letting Mortimer win. He'd gloat about how he won the contest from now until the end of time, everyone in the neighbourhood would swarm to his house to see his amazing Christmas decorations and laugh at Mickey's pathetic excuse of a tree. Pluto would be so ashamed he'd run away, Minnie would leave him for a real man with better decorations and his friends would all run to Mortimer, the Christmas King. No, he wouldn't give in to her guilt trip, not this time. And besides when she sees the new tree she'll forget all about their silly little argument and be overcome with excitement. She'll be so amazed with this year's decorations that she'll swoon over him and tell him how much she loves a guy with great decorating ability.

Mickey was so caught up in his little fantasy, imagining Minnie feeding him chestnuts in front of the fire, his head resting on her lap as she stroked his ears lovingly while she whispered how he deserved a reward for beating Mortimer in the contest yet again. He didn't even hear her cough as she waited for some type of response until she snapped her fingers in front of his face bringing him out of his daze. "Doesn't it?"

"Huh? What? Oh no, no. Ya know yer the most important person in the world to me, an' I wouldn't let some stupid contest come between us."

"Oh Mickey, you have no idea how much-"

"But I still wanna get a new tree." He quickly corrected himself as she folded her arms and went back to looking out the window. "B-but I'll buy a better tree. It'll be bigger, a-an' greener, an' pineier."

"Pineier?" She raised a questioning brow, clearly unimpressed by Mickey's way with words.

"Ya know, it'll have more pines an' stuff." She didn't even acknowledge his answer as she turned to look back out the car window again. "Aww c'mon Minnie don't be like that. I'll let ya choose a tree ya like…"

She pointed her thumb at the tree shoved in the backseat of Mickey's car. "Ok I like that one."

"Any 'cept that one."

"You said I could choose any tree."

"I meant any other tree."

As they pulled in front of the lot Mickey unfastened his belt and scooted closer to Minnie resting his arm over the top of her seat. She refused to meet his gaze, staring out of the window at passers by doing their Christmas shopping, but Mickey was nothing if not persistent as he kept watching and waiting. When the silent staring became too much she turned and opened her mouth to start arguing only to have his soft lips pressed against hers, silencing her. She must have been too stunned to pull back straight away, but as soon as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer he felt her tension ease as she started kissing him back. Minnie had used this trick on him so many times he felt it was only fair he return the favour. When he was satisfied she wasn't going to argue any more he pulled back and smiled at her sweetly. "I really hate it when you do that." Although she was glaring at him Mickey could tell she was fighting a smile. He gave her another quick kiss before getting out the car and making his way around to hold the door open for her. As the two made their way through the snow towards the lot he couldn't help but grin as she linked her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder, huddling closer to keep warm. At least now he would know what to do next time he forgot their anniversary.

The lot was packed with families looking for that perfect tree for Christmas; children looked up at the enormous trees in awe as their parents smiled at their little faces lighting up. Even Minnie who had been so against coming in the first place was amazed by the sheer size and beauty of the trees. The two were so engrossed they didn't hear the lots owner coming up behind them.

"Why hello there and welcome to Crazy Pete's Tree Lot. I'm Crazy Pete and this here's my tree lot. If you folks are after the bestest trees this town's ever seen well then ya've sure come to the right place. Now how's about I show you the finest ten footers we've got all the way from Nova Scotia, huh?"

Pete placed a firm grip on Mickey's shoulder to lead him over to the bigger trees but the young mouse didn't move. Ten foot wasn't going to be enough, if he wanted to outdo Mortimer he'd need something bigger, something that would put his measly ten foot tree to shame. "Do ya not have anythin'… bigger?"

"Oh-ho-ho, bigger ya say. Well it just so happens I've got something round back I was saving for a sucka… I mean a err.. a guy with taste like yaself. Just step right this way."

Pete led the two mice around the back of the lot to the staff area which was littered with spray cans, pots of glue and broken branches. He was about to ask what they were for but then he saw it, a luscious green pine tree standing some fifteen feet tall, it was amazing, it was perfect, it was going to win him the decorating contest for sure. Mickey was so busy gawking he didn't realise Pete was talking to him until he heard Minnie shriek, "How much?"

"Five hundred bucks, take it or leave it."

"Gee that's an awful lot'a money. Maybe we should just get a smaller one, I'm sure I could still beat Mortimer with a-"

"Woah woah woah, hold up a minute short stuff. I sold Mortimer one of my finest yesterday and I can guarantee you that there ain't nothin' 'cept this here tree that's gonna look as good as his."

"Well I-I dunno…"

"Look kid, when it comes to Christmas trees ya need the best. D'ya want people to look at your tree and compare it to that Mortimer guy's? No! You want to have people from all over town rolling up to see the greatest tree this here place's ever seen, you need a tree that's going to win you that Main Street contest, and I'm telling ya this baby's gonna do just that. So what's it gonna be, huh?"

It would be so much easier to make a decision if he didn't have Pete and Minnie staring at him. Pete was watching him like an animal watches his prey, he had Mickey right where he wanted him and he knew it. Give a guy a way to beat their arch rival and they'll do pretty much anything, or spend pretty much anything, to win.

But it wasn't simply a matter of money, there was Minnie to think about as well. She was right when she said the tree meant something to them, after all it was the thing that brought them together. At the time Mickey was working at the mall as an elf in Santa's Winter Wonderland, his height and fondness for the holidays made him perfect for the job. He was heading home after a long day when he noticed a tree bobbing along the other side of the road. He stopped to watch, curious as to how the tree was walking by itself, and that's when he saw her, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Sure she had twigs in her hair and pine in her face as she struggled to carry the tree by herself, but she was perfect none the less. He was so caught up in admiring the girl he nearly missed the truck heading straight for her as she stepped out on to the road. Not caring about his own safety Mickey darted across the street and knocked the girl off her feet as he pushed her to safety. When their eyes met it was like something out of a fairy tale, like when the prince sees the fair maiden for the first time and instantly knows that she's the one. Nothing outside of their gaze mattered, not the fact that he was lying on top of her in the middle of the street in broad daylight, not the truck driver who was yelling obscenities out the window, not even the passers-by who looked confused by the couples strange behaviour. Everything was going perfectly, he'd saved her life, swept her off her feet, quite literally, and he was sure it was love at first sight, that is until she looked down. When he tackled her to the ground his coat must have come loose revealing his rather unusual attire, she glanced back up with a look of uncertainty on her face waiting for some type of explanation. If she didn't think he was crazy at that point then she certainly must have when he opened his mouth to explain his elf costume and lost all ability to form a coherent sentence. If he wasn't using his arms to hold himself above her body he would have facepalmed at how quickly this had turned into the most awkward situation possible. She must have sensed how foolish he felt because she gave the cutest little giggle he'd ever heard and said how she must definitely be on Santa's nice list if she was getting flying visits from his elves.

Once he'd helped her up and they'd introduced themselves properly he carried the tree back to her house where she invited him in for some hot chocolate. They decorated the tree together while sharing stories of Christmases past before settling in front of the TV to watch Christmas movies. When it was time to leave both of them blushed when they noticed the mistletoe hanging from the door frame. Being a gentleman Mickey simply smiled before turning to leave, but Minnie had other ideas. She tugged his hand pulling him back, stood on her tip toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. Aside from the slight pink tinge on her cheeks and cute smile she wore as she shut the door behind her Minnie appeared perfectly normal. Mickey on the other hand thought he needed a paramedic, his knees buckled and his heart stopped, his brain completely shut down and he lost all control over his limbs. After spending a good five minutes sprawled out on her front porch trying to recover he managed to make his way home, although he did get some funny looks from passers-by as he ran, skipped and jumped the whole way shouting nonsensical phrases of joy.

From that point on the two mice had spent every Christmas together. The tree that had brought them together ended up at Mickey's house when he was ill with the flu one year. He was so disappointed that he couldn't go to Minnie's to help decorate that she decided to bring everything to his so he could watch her decorate from the sofa. She was so caring, tucking him in, feeding him spoonful's of soup and kissing his forehead every time she left the room. She'd been so attentive, taking care of his every need, she couldn't believe it when she caught the flu from him and they both spent Christmas day snuggled up on the sofa together under a pile of blankets drinking cups of soup. He remembered Pluto's first Christmas, the pup had stolen the star and hidden it in his dog house, they spent hours looking and when they finally found it he refused to give it back. Mickey explained the star had to go on the top of the tree otherwise Santa wouldn't bring him any toys or treats for Christmas. They finally managed to get the star out of his mouth when Mickey lifted him up to place the star on top of the tree, a tradition that had stuck for years.

The tree was just as important to them as the presents or the roast dinner, to get rid of it meant Christmas wouldn't be the same. But maybe it was time to make new memories; surely a bigger tree was better, and like Pete said when it comes to Christmas you need the best and this tree certainly was the best. He looked up at Minnie and smiled apologetically before turning to Pete who waited impatiently. "Do you do instalment plans?"

"Sure we do. Now step right this way, I'll get P.J. to load the tree on your car and get rid of the old one while we sign the paperwork."

"Wait, what are you going to do with it?" Minnie who had been silent since they arrived at the lot finally spoke up grabbing Pete's arm as he turned to take Mickey into his office.

"Well we'll cut it up and sell it on, an old tree like that ain't no good to me, no one'll buy it. It'll probably get turned into paper or furniture or somethin', I dunno."

Before she could protest Mickey was dragged away into a crammed office where he signed the papers. When he came out Minnie was standing staring at the car, the fifteen footer was tied to the roof and all evidence of their tree was gone. He came up behind her placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Gee Minnie I'm sorry, I just… I- I want this year to be special ya know. An' just look at the size of this thing. Why, we're gonna win the Main Street Decorating Contest for sure."

She smiled weakly, it killed Mickey to see her like this, even more so to know that it was his fault, he could have just kept the stupid tree and he wouldn't have had to see her so upset. But what made him feel even worse was the fact that she wasn't shouting or screaming at him, blaming him for getting rid of something that meant so much to both of them, she just seemed disappointed in him more than anything. "Yeah, well, I hope it's worth it." She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and started down the street pulling her coat tighter around her waist.

"Hey wait, where ya goin'?"

"I'm going to take a walk, I'll be over later. Just start without me, ok?"

"Minnie-" He reached out a hand to stop her but she was already gone. He'd really messed up this time. He was a stupid selfish boyfriend. A stupid selfish boyfriend who didn't deserve a girl as amazing as her. It was probably best to give her time to calm down, she'd come around eventually. The best thing he could do right now was to just go home and start decorating the tree, that way when she came over later she'd forget all about the old tree and what she was even mad about in the first place.

The drive home took way longer than it should have, probably because of the extra weight on his car. As he drove through town everyone turned in amazement to admire Mickey's new tree which was nearly three times the size of his car. He smiled and waved at everyone he passed and pretty soon he was able to put Minnie at the back of his mind. After all this was what he wanted all along, to bring joy to others around him and spread a little Christmas cheer.

Twenty minutes later he pulled up in front of his house and couldn't believe his luck when he saw Mortimer hanging Christmas lights next door. Mickey had to bite back a laugh as the taller mouse nearly fell off his ladder doing a double take when he saw what he was up against this year. He kept his face passive, as if buying a tree this extravagant was no big deal to him. Getting out of the car he desperately tried to control his smirk seeing Mortimer stumble across the yard as he untied the rope and start pulling the tree down. "Th-that's your tree? How did ya-? W-where did ya get it?"

"From Pete."

"From Pete? Why that lousy good for nothin'- He told me I'd never find a better tree anywhere."

"Well I guess ya best give up now, ya don't stand a chance of winnin'." With one final pull he managed to narrowly avoid getting crushed by the tree as it rolled from the roof of his car. After hearing all the commotion Pluto bounded through the snow resting his front paws on his master before rolling on to his back waiting for his tummy to be tickled. "Aww, who's my pal? Who's my pal? That's right you are. Yes you are, yes you are." He looked up from scratching Pluto's belly to see a rather bemused looking Mortimer smirking at him. Slightly embarrassed he'd shown a softer side Mickey cleared his throat as he straightened up and nodded at the tree. "C'mon boy, gimme a hand with this would ya?" Pluto barked in response before taking the tip of the tree in his teeth and start pulling while Mickey pushed the stump of the tree up the path. Even with their combined efforts the tree only managed to inch its way slowly up the path. How had P.J. managed to load this on to the car by himself?

Mortimer rested against the fence which separated their yards watching the mouse and his dog struggle. "Ha, I might still win this thing after all."

"Oh yeah… uugh… an' how did ya… uugh… figure that out?" Mickey groaned as they managed to get the tree up on to the porch.

"'Cause you ain't even gonna be able to fit that thing through the door."

"Huh?" He peered over the top of the tree and sure enough there was no way it was going to fit through there. He clenched his fists as Mortimer cried with laughter from his yard, no longer worried that Mickey was a threat. After everything he'd been through with Minnie today to get this tree there was no way he was going to give up because of a stupid doorframe. "Alright boy, on three, ok? One… two… three." They pushed and pulled with all their might but the bottom of the tree was stuck. Mickey carried on pushing, using all of his strength as he dug his heels into the floor. The sound of Mortimer laughing in the background was a driving force for him, an incentive to keep on going. With one final almighty push the tree went crashing through the door, taking out the frame and most of the surrounding wall with it. A cloud of dust covered the hallway as bricks and plaster fell on top of them, the floor was littered with pine needles and snapped branches, the bookcase that stood in his hallway was overturned with books laid scattered all over the floor. The beautiful tree was now a mess, the first ten foot from the tip down looked perfect as it flowed outwards but the bottom of the tree was ruined. He stood up to survey the damage, hoping that it could be fixed in time for Minnie coming over. Boy was she was going to kill him.

"I'll give ya fresh ham every day for a month if ya let me say it was yer fault." Pluto scowled at his master and shook his head wildly, he'd seen Minnie mad before and there was no way he was going to take the blame for destroying half the house. "Didn't think so. We'll just hafta get this tree up quick an' fix this place up before she gets here. Now gimmie a hand puttin' it over there."

It took a while but they managed to drag the tree into the living room by the fire without any major incidents. "Alright now, I'm gonna push and yer gonna pull ok? We'll get this thing up no problem." Pluto rolled his eyes as he took a chunk of the tree in his mouth and waited for Mickey to give the order. "Ok, on three, ready? One… two… three." The weight of this thing was unbelievable. It was hard enough pushing it into the house but trying to get it upright was a totally different thing altogether. After spending a good few minutes grunting and groaning while they desperately tried to push the tree into place it refused to budge any more. Mickey looked up and noticed that the tree was too tall, there was no way they were going to be able to get it upright in his little home. "Ok boy put it back down, this ain't gonna work. What we gonna do Pluto? I guess we could just cut a little bit off the bottom, then it might fit." Pluto barked in response before running off and coming back a minute later with a chainsaw in his mouth. "Atta boy, Pluto. Now stand back."

The dog didn't need telling twice as he dove behind the sofa covering his eyes with his paws. Mickey had never used a chainsaw before but he figured it was the same as using an axe, after all they did pretty much the same thing. He pulled the throttle lifting the chainsaw above his head before bringing it down with all his might. He expected the tree to cut right away no problem, what he did not expect was the chainsaw to bounce back knocking him over before dragging him across the floor as he clung to the handle for dear life. All he could do was close his eyes and scream until it was over, hoping that Pluto had the sense to do something. Pluto was quite content to let his master get thrown around as the chainsaw ripped through the bookcase and tore up the carpet, that was until it split the sofa in two ruining the terrified dogs hiding place. He yelped as the chainsaw chased him around the living room tearing up everything in its path until his paws got tangled in the wiring yanking the plug out of its socket. As the noise died down Mickey lay on his back next to Pluto staring at the ceiling while they caught their breath. His theory was so long as he laid there and stared at the ceiling then the damage around him didn't exist. He could just block it all out, not think about it, lay there until Minnie returned and say Pluto got excited and destroyed his house… with a chainsaw. Yep, so long as he just kept his head up and continued staring at the same spot on the ceiling, everything else around him was-

**Crash!**

Destroyed, his entire house was destroyed. The wallpaper was ripped to shreds, the carpet was torn to pieces, his sofa cut in half, the television was broken, his bookcase overturned, the windows were smashed, not to mention the giant whole where his front door should be. And yet despite all the carnage the tree remained pretty much intact aside from the broken branches where they'd forced it through the door. Mickey stood in silence and looked around him at all the damage he'd caused, not just to his house but more importantly to his relationship. His own selfishness and stupidity drove Minnie away. Sure she would come back eventually and things would be fine but this would always be at the back of her mind, how he chose himself and his need to win over something that was so important to them. Maybe others would think of it as just a tree but to them it held so many memories and so much significance. He thought back to all the Christmases they'd shared together, from the first day they met, to that time they introduced their friends Donald and Daisy at a Christmas party and caught them kissing under the mistletoe a few hours later, and how they were there for Max's first steps when he tried to chase Pluto and ending up falling over in a very Goofy like manner. But all that was gone now and instead he was left with a giant tree that was probably bigger than his house, a girlfriend who was out pacing the streets in the freezing cold and what would probably be a very large insurance bill. He sank to his knees running his hands over his ears as he tried to figure out how he could make this right when an idea came to him. He whipped out his cell phone and a business card and dialled the number hoping that someone would pick up.

"Crazy Pete's Tree Lot, Pete here."

"Oh uhh… Hey Pete, it's Mickey, Mickey Mouse. Well I was wonderin' about that tree ya sold me earlier-"

"There ain't nothing wrong with it, any damage or faults after it's left the lot is your problem, not mine, so I ain't givin' ya a refund."

"No i-it's not that. Ya see I wanted to get my old tree back, ya know the one ya took."

"Sorry kid no can do, someone came along an' took that old hunk o'junk."

"What? But how? Why?"

"I dunno, t'was probably one o'those crazy hippy folk wantin' ta save the planet or somethin'."

"Ya mean it- it's gone?"

"That's what I said. Now if that's all ya want I got customers waitin'." Mickey lowered the phone in disbelief as the line went dead. That was his last hope, his last chance to turn things around, to make Minnie come back and save Christmas. This was supposed to be the time of year when everything worked out alright. When parents would get that extra bonus from work to get the present their kid really wanted, when your girl would let you snuggle up in bed for an extra half hour because it was so cold outside of the blanket, when _'aww c'mon it's Christmas'_ was a viable excuse for just about everything. But not for Mickey, not this year, this time he'd ruined everything, he'd lost the most important person in the world to him and no giant tree or decorating contest was ever going to make up for that.

At that point something snapped inside him and Mickey dived on the tree tearing out its branches and pulling out clumps of pine needles. He yelled how it was all the stupid trees' fault, how it had made Minnie leave and tried to kill Pluto and destroyed half of his house and now he was going to make it pay. He was so caught up in attacking the tree he didn't hear her footsteps approaching him until she was right behind him. "Mickey Mouse, what on earth happened here?"

"Minnie!" He practically tackled his girlfriend as he hugged her legs pulling her closer to him as he tried to explain everything. "I'm so sorry Min, I didn't mean ta hurt ya an' I know that I've been stupid an' that I should'a listened to ya an' kept the tree. B-but this isn't my fault. No it-it was all the tree, ya see it was too big an' so me and Pluto well we tried ta push it in the house but it wouldn't fit an' then Mortimer was laughin' an- ohh that Mortimer I bet he had somethin' ta do with it, him an' that Pete, he wouldn't take the tree back off me an' he said he sold our old tree ta some hippy. An' anyway Mortimer wouldn't stop laughin' an so we pushed it through an' then the wall fell through, a-an' then we tried to put it up but it was too big, but I should'a measured it first 'cause I'm pretty sure it's bigger than the house. A-an' so P-Pluto got a chainsaw that didn't work 'cause it's not an axe and it tore up the whole place and nearly killed him, an' just look what it did, everythin's ruined. B-but none of that really matters 'cause it's all my fault, if I didn't buy this stupid tree in the first place none of this would'a happened. I'm so sorry Minnie, I know ya hate me 'cause I ruined Christmas an' I sold the tree but I'm sorry. I just wish there was somethin' I could do to make it up to ya."

He was surprised that she was still here listening to his pathetic excuses never mind the fact that she was letting him hang on to her legs and stroking the back of his head reassuringly. Any second now she'd push him away and tell him that he'd ruined Christmas forever and she never wanted to see his face again. He braced himself for the onslaught trying to savour every last second before she walked out of his life for good. "It's ok Mickey. You can start by helping me clean up this mess and then I have a little something for you."

He felt like he'd lost all ability to speak. Why wasn't she telling him that she hated him and that it was over, that she never wanted to see him again? He dared to look up expecting to see hatred or disappointment in her eyes but instead all he saw was love, a look that made his heart stop and his head spin. How was it that after everything he'd done she still loved him? He didn't deserve to be with someone as amazing and as beautiful as her. He lowered his head back down to the floor as tears threatened to fall, ashamed of everything he'd done. He felt movement next to him and when he looked up she was kneeling beside him, her hands came up and rested on his face caressing his cheeks while she looked deep into his eyes. "Hey Mickey, it's ok, everything's fine now."

"No Minnie it's not. I can't forgive myself for what I did. I've ruined everything. Things are never-"

"Just come outside." She interrupted taking his hands in hers and pulling the two of them up. They crossed the room careful not to stand on any broken glass or sharp pine needles. Even though she was slightly ahead of him he could still tell that she was desperately trying to contain herself, almost like she was excited about something. Just as he was about to question her they came through what used to be his door and then he saw it. At first he couldn't believe it, he stood mouth agape and eyes wide at the sight before him. Fastened to the roof of her car was their tree, and not only that, her whole car was jammed with lights and decorations too. A million different questions raced through his mind as he tried to figure out what he wanted to ask first. "How did ya-? But Pete said- Why-?"

"As soon as you left I went back and bought the tree from P.J. then I went into town and got some new decorations. I figured if I gave you time you would realise that bigger didn't always mean better and pretty soon you'd be wishing you didn't sell this old thing."

Right now he wanted to tell her how amazing she was, how he didn't deserve someone as perfect as her, that he loved her and was never going to let her go, but no matter what he said it still wouldn't be enough. So instead he lifted her up and twirled her around planting his lips firmly against hers as if that would somehow express how he felt. She must have understood though, she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer and kissed him back with just as much love and passion. Neither one was sure how long they stayed like that, they didn't seem to hear the _'aaw's'_ and wolf whistles and _'get a room's' _from passers-by, and even if they did they didn't care. However there did come a point when the cold became too much and they started to lose the feeling in their toes and so they decided to unload the tree and the decorations from the car. It took a long time to clear up the house, Mickey started by repairing the wall and the door while Minnie got to work clearing the mess on the floor. Rather than trying to squeeze the tree through the door again they cut it up into smaller sections and threw it outside much to Mortimer's dismay. It took hours but finally the house was back normal and so the mice started on decorating. But this time he didn't care about a stupid competition or his rivalry with Mortimer, he was just happy to have their tree back and spend the holidays with the person he loved more than anything in the world. As they worked they sang carols, reminisced about Christmases past and stole a few kisses under the mistletoe, which Mickey had conveniently stuffed in his pocket for whenever he felt like it.

When they finished the mice stood back and admired their tree, sure it wasn't as big or as green or as pineier as some trees but to them it was perfect because it represented everything that Christmas was to them. It wasn't about having the best decorations or the best presents, it was about spending time with the people that you love and making memories that would last a lifetime. Mickey wrapped his arms around his girl letting out a content sigh, right now he felt like the luckiest mouse on earth because he had everything he needed right here in his arms.


End file.
